Windmill-governor.



P. B. ANDERSON.

WINDMILL GOVERNOR.

APPLICATION EILED JUNE 9, 1908.

Patented July 13, 1909.

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P. E. ANDERSON.

WINDMILL GOVERNOR.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9. 1908.

927,921. Patented July 13, 1909.

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u rrnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WINDMILL-GOVERNOR.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER E. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Canby, in the county of Yellow Medicine and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful. -lmprovements in VVindihill-Governors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to imprm/ements in governing or controlling devices for wind mills and it consists of the novel. features of constructimi and the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

The object of the invention to provide a simple and practical centrifugal governing device which will automatically throw the blades of the wheel out of the wind and retain them in such position.

The above and other objects of the illvention are attained in its pre] red e1nbodiment illustrated in the acconipanying drawings, in which '7 Figure l. is a view, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, of my improved windmill wheel and its governing device showing the position of the parts when the wheel is in a light wind; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the position of the parts when the wheel is in a strong wind; Fig. 3 is a detail vertical section; and Figs. d and 5 are detail views.

In the drawings 1 denotes an upright tubular member rotatably mounted in a. suitable bearing 2 and provided at its upper end with a head 3 having two spaced arms 1, 5 provided with bearings (S for the horizontal shaft 7 of the windmill 8. A shaft 9 is arranged concentrically in the tubular member 1 and has its upper end extending through an opening in the head 3 and provided with a. beveled gear 10 which meshes with a similar gear 11 fixed to the shaft 7 The windmill 8 comprises a hub or body portion 12 fixed to the shaft 7 and provided with radiating arms 13 carrying swinging blades or vanes 14. Said blades 14 are pivoted at points adjacent to their center to the outer ends of the arms 13, as shown at 15, so that they can swing longitudinally or in planes substantially parallel with the axis of the shaft 7. At the pivot of each of the blades 14 an angular] y projecting arm 16 which is connected by a link 17 to one arm of an angular lever or bell crank 18, the lat- Speeifieation of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 9, 1908.

Patented July 13, 1909.

Serial No. 437,570.

ter being pivoted at its angle, as shown at 19, upon the body or hub 12 of the wheel and having its other end connected by a link 20 to a controlling head or member 21 slidably mounted on the shaft 7 between the hub 12 and the bearing 6. It will be seen upon reference to Fig. 1 that when the head or sleeve 21. is moved longitudinally 011 the shaft 7 the blades 141 will. be simultaneously swung to different angular positions.

The centrifugal device for controlling the movement of said head or sleeve 21 comprises two angular levers or bell cranks 22 arranged upon the opposite sides of the shaft or axis 7 and pivoted at their angles in bearings 23 upon the hub or body 12 of the wheel. Each of said angular levers or hell cranks22 has a long inwardly or rearwardly extending arm 24: carrying a weight 25 and a short forwardly projecting arm 26 which is connected by a link 27 to an arm or red 25% which projects from the controlling head 21,. The weighted centrifugal arms 21 are drawn in *ardly and into parallel rela tion with the shaft 7 so as to maintain the blades 14]: normally in the wind, by means of coil springs 29 ar anged upon guide rods 30. The latter are pivoted at one end, as shown at 30 and are provided with adjusting nuts 8O by means of which the tension of the springs 29 may be varied, the free ends of said rods being slidably arranged in openings in arms 24 of the levers 22. It will be seen that when the wheel rotates too fastthe weighted arms 24- of the levers 22 will fly outwardly, thereby causing the short arms 26 of said levers to move inwardly or rearwardly and shift the controlling head 21 in the same direction so that the links 17 will be drawn inwardly to swing the blades let out of the wind, as will be understood upon reference to Fig. 2.

In order to throw the wheel out of the wind manually I provide an operating cable or wire 31 which extends upwardly through the tubular member 1 and the head 3 over suitable guide pulleys 32, 83 and is connected to one end of an operating member 34 in the form of an open frame having side bars mounted for sliding movement in guides 85 upon the head 3. The forward ends of the side bars 34: extend inwardly and project into an annular groove 36 formed in the controlling head or sleeve 21 so that the latter will he slid rearwardly on the shaft 7 when the wire 31 is drawn upon. Any suitable means may be provided for fastening the lower end of the wire 31 to hold the wheel out of the wind, and it will be seen that when said wire is released the springs 29 will auto matically throw the blades into the wind.

The operation of the invention will be readily understood upon reference to Figs. 1 and 2. When the wheel is in a light wind the springs 29 will be suflicient to hold the centrifugal arms or levers in their normal position shown in Fig. l and the blades 14 will be therefore held to the wind. hen, however, the wind becomes strong and rotates the wheel very rapidly the weighted arms 24 of the levers 22 will swing outwardly and the blades 14 will be angled or thrown out of or partially out of the wind, as will be seen upon reference to Fig. 2. \Vhen it is desired to throw the wheel entirely out of the wind it is only necessary to draw downwardly upon the wire 31.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provides an exceedingly effective means for automatically controlling a windmill and owing to its simplicity it may be produced at a small cost and will be strong and durable.

Having thus described my invention what I claim is:

1. The combination of a shaft, a wheel having a body and radiating arms, blades pivoted to said arms and provided at their pivots with arms, levers upon the body of the wheel, a controlling head slidable upon the shaft, links connecting said levers to said controlling head and the arms on the pivots of the blades, rods projecting from said controlling head, governing levers having weighted arms, links connecting said governing levers to said rods, and springs for actuating the weighted arms of the governing levers inwardly.

2. The combination of a shaft, a wheel having a body and radiating arms, blades pivoted to said arms, a controlling head slidable upon the shaft, operative connections between said head and said blades, governor levers having weighted arms provided with guides, and other arms, means connecting the last mentioned arms to said head, guide rods engaged with the guides on the weighted arms of the governor levers, and

coil springs on said guide rods for controlling said weighted arms.

3. The combination of a shaft, a wheel having a body and radiating arms, blades pivoted to said arms, a controlling head slidable upon the shaft, operative connections between said head and said blades, governor levers pivoted intermediate their ends upon said arms of the body and each having a weighted end formed with a guide opening, operative connections between the other ends of said governor levers and said head, guide rods pivoted to said arms and arranged in the openings in the weighted ends of the governor levers, adjusting nuts upon said guide rods and coil springs arranged on said guide rods between said nuts and said governor levers.

l. The combination of a bearing, a shaft mounted therein, a wheel upon the shaft and consisting of a body formed with radiating arms, blades pivoted to the outer ends of said arms and provided at their pivots with right angularly projecting arms, a head slidable upon the shaft, bell crank levers pivoted to the body of the wheel, links connecting said bell crank levers and said head, links connecting said bell crank levers and the arms on said blades, rods projecting from said head and slidable in the body of the wheel, angular governor levers pivoted at their angles to said. arms of the body and each having one end weighted. and formed with a guide opening, links connecting the other ends of said governor lovers to said rods, guide rods pivoted to the arms of the body and slidable in the openings in the weighted ends of the governor levers, coil springs on said guide rods and engaged with said governor levers, a slidable frame upon the bearing for shifting said head, guide pulleys upon said bearing and a flexible connection engaged with the guide pulleys and attached to said frame, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

PETER E. ANDERSON.

itnesses J. E. VANs'rRoM, F. R. DINNOD. 

